Vertigo after eating: what to know

After a meal, digestion changes circulation and some people feel light-headed, especially if they stand quickly, are dehydrated or take medicines that lower blood pressure. A missed meal followed by eating may also be followed by shaky or weak feelings when blood sugar is unstable. Food can trigger migraine-related dizziness in some people, sometimes without head pain. True spinning that is brought on by turning the head may instead fit benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. Ear pressure, ringing or hearing change raises other inner-ear possibilities such as Meniere's Disease; ear pain may accompany Middle Ear Infection. Learn more about [Vertigo](/symptoms/vertigo/).

Sit down when symptoms begin and rise slowly after they settle. Drink water, avoid skipping meals, and choose smaller balanced meals if large meals repeatedly bring symptoms on. Do not drive or use machinery until your balance is normal. Keep a diary of foods, meal size, timing, posture, medicines and associated symptoms such as sweating, palpitations, headache, nausea or hearing changes. A clinician may check blood pressure lying and standing, review medicines and assess blood sugar, ears, eye movements and balance. Do not assume a food is responsible after one episode or start a restrictive diet without advice.

Seek urgent help for fainting, severe weakness, new numbness, trouble speaking, chest pain, severe breathing difficulty, confusion, double vision, a sudden severe headache or inability to walk. Get prompt advice for repeated episodes, falls, persistent vomiting, new hearing loss, or symptoms after a new medicine or food exposure. Swelling of the lips or tongue, wheezing or difficulty breathing after eating is an emergency.

Could my blood pressure, blood sugar, medicines or migraine explain the timing? Should I check anything before and after meals? Does head movement suggest positional vertigo? Which foods or symptoms should I record?